Police

​ESSEX COUNTY, NJ - Earlier today, Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura issued an alert to all Essex County residents regarding a phone scam which involves a threat of arrest over not appearing for Jury Duty.

Apparently, the caller identifies themselves as an Essex County Sheriff Officer and states that the warrant can be removed if the individual pays a fine. Additionally, the phone's Caller ID also makes it appear that the call is coming from the Essex County Sheriff's Office.

The scam involves a caller stating he or she is with the Sheriff's Office and utilizes technology thatfalsely impacts the potential victim’s caller ID toshow that the call is legitimate,” Fontoura expressed.

“The caller says that a warrant has been issued forthe victim’s arrest but the warrantmay be resolved either ‘criminally’ or ‘civilly’by paying a fine which would negate an arrest.

The scam artist then follows with instructionsfor the victim to use a pre-paid debit card from a major bank. The scammer then provides a call back phone number​where payment can be paid.

The Sheriff warns residents that if they receive a call from an individual who they don't personally know, they should never provide any personal identification such as:

date of birth

social security number

bank card information

Additionally, should someone receive such a call, the Sheriff is asking that they gather as much information as possible about the name and phone number provided by the scammer and report them to local police.

Scam artists are extremely creative and inventive,” cautioned Fontoura.“We can not stress enough that legitimate law enforcement agencies​do not ask for money card information to avoid arrest.